Happiness
by Doodlewolf
Summary: In which Thorin reflects on the times in his adult life he has felt true happiness...
1. Chapter 1

Happiness: In which Thorin reflects on the times in his adult life he has felt true happiness.

There were many times during his childhood that Thorin could remember being happy, of feeling that carefree innocence that leaves all children with age – becoming less and less frequent as life progressed. He found it hard to recall those memories, so long ago had they happened and with so much heartbreak filling the in between.

But since he had accepted the responsibility of being the king of an exiled people his moments of joy had been few and far between, though they all centred around one precious thing in his life – well two precious things, really.

Sometimes I feel the need for senseless fluff and happiness, hope you enjoy!


	2. The First Son

Dis was screaming, actually screaming. Not once in his life could he remember his younger sister making a noise even remotely similar to that – well, there was that one time when Frerin nailed her braid to a tree – but that had been angry screaming, this was hurt screaming.

Thorin paced outside the door to her room and felt anxiety bubbling in his stomach, and fear. He couldn't help her while she was in labour and, to be quite truthful, he had no desire to get any closer to what was going on on the other side of the door anyway. There were some things a brother didn't need to share with his sister, and childbirth was one of them – not that he wasn't thrilled for her, of course, but this was a little out of his comfort zone.

He turned on the spot and traced his footsteps back before repeating the steps. More shouting and screaming and several swear words that made him stop mid stride and look towards the door with raised eyebrows – where had she learned _that_! He shook his head and kept moving.

The screaming silenced, which was only marginally less unnerving than when it had begun, but it was soon replaced by loud wailing that knotted his stomach worse than any banshee screech his sister had ever uttered.

His nephew was finally here.

The door opened and the elderly dwarf midwife stepped out, wiping her hands down the front of the apron she was wearing. He tried to ignore that.

"Well laddie, what are you waiting for, an invitation?" The woman asked with a bark of laughter, stepping around him and leaving the door wide open.

There was certainly no reason _not_ to go in, except that his feet didn't seem to want to do what he wanted, he swallowed. Well he couldn't stand out here all day – Dis would be sure to call him a coward if she knew he had been lingering outside.

He stepped forwards, over the threshold and into the room which was very warm in his opinion. Dis lay on her bed, propped up against the headboard with her partners arm around her shoulders, both wearing matching grins of pride as the bundle in her arms squirmed.

"We were beginning to think you'd left, brother," Dis said with a smile at him – it was a smile that told him she knew how gut wrenchingly terrifying this was for him. "Come now, my son is waiting for his welcome."

"A son?" Thorin asked, he made his way to the side of her bed and peered down at the bundle in her arms. The child already had a thin layer of golden coloured hair covering his head – a good sign for a dwarf baby, the hairier the better! And blue eyes, a bit puffy certainly, but blue as the sky over the mountain and –_oh_, staring right at him.

Thorin felt as if he were being judged by that gaze, weighed against everything he had ever achieved and ever would to see if he were worthy of being a protector of this small being. Was he? He could only hope.

"Well, what do you think Brother?" Dis asked, rocking the baby slightly. "Is he not perfect? My little Fili."

"Fili?" Thorin questioned, Dis looked up sharply with a frown.

"You do not like it?" She demanded, her arms tightening around her precious bundle protectively.

"It is a fine name," Thorin said quickly, he had no doubt that his sister would not hesitate to get up and make him eat his words should she think him lying. "For a fine son – worthy of the line of Durin."

A fleshy pink hand slipped out of the wrapping, and Thorin moved forward to tuck it back in, cautious and careful of the fragility he associated with babies. Though as he did so the small fingers closed around his own in a vice like grip and those blue eyes looked up at him with complete trust and unending love that Thorin could not help the smile that spread over his face.

He was terrified that he should somehow come to lose that love and trust but, in that moment, the joy of his first nephew's birth was all he knew.


	3. The Second Son

**Massive apologies for not updating. My life has been awkwardly busy the last few months. Thanks to everyone who read the story and who reviewed - you are wonderful! **

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Thorin walked up the path that lead to his sister's home, tried and dirty from working in the forge all day. His head was ringing with the sound of hammer blows and his skin felt dry and hot from the fires he had been constantly tending - all he wanted was a bit of peace and quiet.

With a sigh he pushed open the door and was hit by a sound that made him stop dead in the doorway – wailing. It was too small a sound to be coming from Fili, the boy was 5 now and had a fairly impressive set of lungs, but still it was loud. Piercing even.

"Uncle!" Fili cried as he appeared a moment later, a wide grin spread over his face as he ran towards the older dwarf, grabbing his hand and trying to drag him through the house. "Uncle, come and see!"

"What's going on Fili?" Thorin asked, allowing himself to be towed towards the high-pitched crying despite his headache and want for sleep.

"He's here!" Fili said excitedly, urging Thorin onwards. "My brother, he's finally here!"

"How can that be?" Thorin asked, he was moving of his own want now, overtaking his young nephew in his need to know what was happening. The door to Dis' room was closed to him, as it had been five years earlier on the day of Fili's birth. "Your mother said she had a week or more till she was due."

Fili shrugged his small shoulders, the smile still on his face as he moved to the door and pressed his ear up against it – though what he expected to hear other than crying, Thorin didn't know.

"Maybe he got tired of waiting," Fili thought, looking up with at his uncle with his big blue eyes. "It must be very boring, without anyone to play with."

"You will not be able to play with him straight away Fili," Thorin pointed out with a frown, his nephew's face screwed up with confusion and Thorin sighed. He moved to the kitchen and bought out a chair, setting it just to the right of the door so that he would be able to see if it should open. "He will be too small for you to play with at first."

Fili looked at his uncle for a few moments with a frown, before climbing up onto the chair to sit with him. Thorin allowed him to sit on his leg while they waited for news of his mother and new baby.

"I'm sure he won't mind, I am small too," Fili said, swinging his legs back and forth, the picture of innocence. "We can be small together."

"No Fili, you will still be bigger than the baby, it will be much too small to play with for a while yet." Thorin told the boy. His head was pounding now, this new baby was certainly keen on letting everyone know that it had arrived.

"That's okay I guess," Fili said, his legs stopped swinging and his sighed, hopping off of Thorin's lap as he did so. "Why are they taking so long? I want to meet him!"

"Birthing is a … complicated process," Thorin said, not wanting to get into specifics. "And it might be a girl."

"He's going to be a boy Uncle Thorin, I know he is," Fili said with a smile, looking expectantly back towards the door. "That's what asked for."

"That isn't how it works child," Thorin said, rubbing a hand over his brow. "A baby will be what it wants to be."

"That's what mother says too, but I know," Fili said, still certain. "I told the baby I wanted it to be a boy! I want a little brother!"

The door opened and the young dwarfling span back around eagerly as Thorin stood. The midwife exited - the same one that had delivered Fili on his birth day – and exhaled loudly.

"Well that one was a handful and no mistake," She said, shaking her head tiredly. "The Lady Dis is exhausted, but both she and the babe are fine – go on in my Lord."

Fili didn't need telling twice, but Thorin scooped him up before he could step over the threshold. If Dis was truly tired she wouldn't appreciate the child crawling all over her. They went in together, and the wailing of the baby was almost deafening.

"Here at last," Dis said, loudly to be heard over her new born. "Or early, I should say, this one was impatient."

"You are well, sister?" Thorin asked, not liking the paleness of her face or the sweat soaked hair. She simply nodded and smiled down at the bundle in her arms. Fili wriggled to get free but Thorin held him.

"I want to see him Uncle!" Fili said, annoyed.

Thorin was overjoyed at the prospect of a new child in the family, but he didn't have much desire to get closer to the screaming babe. He had no choice of course – what would Dis say if she knew he was avoiding her child because of a headache?

"Yes, come and see your brother Fili." Dis said. Fili's smile was as bright as the sun as he urged Thorin towards the bawling babe. They approached and Thorin allowed Fili to climb onto the bed beside his mother and meet his sibling.

How on earth could such a noise come from something so small? Thorin wondered as he peered into the bundle of cloth. Unlike Fili as his birth, this baby had no hair and had his eyes shut tight as he cried.

"He's very loud," Thorin said, somewhat needlessly. "And bald as a stone."

"I think he's perfect," Fili breathed in awe, his eyes fixed upon his younger brother. "What's he called mother?"

"His name is Kili," Dis said, and kissed her eldest child upon his golden head. Thorin nodded, a good name. Fili leant in so close to the baby that Thorin worried his hearing would be damaged.

"Hello Kili," Fili said quietly. The baby opened his eyes – the deepest brown – and saw Fili for the first time. Kili stopped his crying and he stared right back. "Hello my little brother."

Thorin forgot his headache. In that moment, everything was as it was meant to be.


End file.
